Piano damper-action.



PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904.

0. P. BLINN. PIANO DAMPER ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9. 1904.

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N0 MODEL.

No. 767,100. PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904. G. P. BLINN.

PIANO DAMPER ACTION.

APPLICATION rmzn JAN. 9, 1904.

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Patented. August 9, 1904;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES P. BLINN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO DAMPER-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,100, dated August9, 1904.

Application filed January 9, 1904, Serial No. 188,271. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OnARLEs P. BLINN, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Piano Damper-Actions, of which the followingis aspecification.

This invention relates to pianoforte-actions, especially to that part ofthe action operated by the loud or damper pedal. An upright piano-actionusually has a rail or rod which is connected with the damper-pedal andwhen actuated by the latter is caused to hold the dampers out of contactwith the wires or strings after the releasing of the keys. In somemovements a single elongated rod is employed adapted to lift or displaceall the dampers simultaneously. Other movements have a divided rod ortwo rod-sections, one of which cooperates with the bass and the otherwith the treble dampers, the two sections being operated from oppositeends of the action. The arrangement of the sections is such that theinner end of the bass section overlaps the inner end of the treblesection, so that while the bass section of the divided rod can be movedindependently of the other to displace only the bass dampers the treblesection of said rod cannot be operated independently. This division ofthe rod in the middle impairs the effectiveness and rigidity of the rodwhen all the dampers are to be displaced, because the springs which holdthe dampers against their respective wires are always stronger in thebass section than in the treble section, and consequently the greatestresistance is at the weakest part of the lifting-rod.

The principal object of this invention is to divide the series ofdampers into groups and to control each group independently of the otheror others and still enable all the dampers to be displacedsimultaneously.

A secondary object of the invention is to so organize thedamper-actuating mechanism that the greatest resistance to thelifting-rods will be at the strongest or most rigid parts of said rods.

On the accompanying drawings the damper mechanism is shown as dividedinto two groups. The invention, however, is not limited to this precisearrangement, but is based on means for independently controlling groupsof dampers in addition to controlling all the dampers collectively.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 shows in end elevation a pianoforte-actionembodying my invention in normal condition or the condition whichprevails when the loud pedals are released. Fig. 2 shows in endelevation the damper-actuating mechanism in the condition which prevailswhen the loud pedal is depressed. Fig. 3 shows the damper-actuatingmechanism in the condition which prevails when the bass pedal isdepressed. Fig. 1 shows in perspective the arrangement of thelifting-rods as mounted on the action-supporting frame.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

The uprights 10 of the action-frame are shown as supporting the main orflange rail 11, the bottom rail 12, and the usual parts of the action.Theusual felt damper 13 is attached to the upper end of a damper-lever130, which is pivoted at 14: to an car 15, secured to the main rail 11.Said damper is normally held in vibration-checking contact with the wireor string 16 by a spring 17. The rear end of the usual operating-key 18bears against the lower end of the usual extension 19. The upper end ofsaid extension is connected at 20 to the jack-lever 21, on which ismounted the jack 22, and to the rear end of which is affixed thedamper-lifting pin 23. The hammer 24 is pivoted at 25 to a fixture 26,secured to the main rail 11. A depression of the forward end of the key18 raises the extension 19 to rock the lever 21. The lever 20 in turnrocks or lifts the damper 13 from the accompanying wire or string 16, atthe same time lifting the jack 22 against the butt 27 of the hammer 24:,thus causing the hammer to strike the wire. The present invention isembodied in the means hereinafter described for conshown.) Said rodbears against the under side of a rocker-arm 31 on one end of theprincipal damper-lifting rod 32. As hereinbefore stated, the springs 17,which press the dampers 13 against the wires 16, are made stronger forthe bass dampers than for the treble dampers. This is because thevibrations of the bass wires are stronger than those of the treblewires. For this reason the arm 31 is located, preferably, at the bassend of the lifting-rod 32, so that the torsional movement of said rodwill be less than if said arm were at the other end. Said lifting-rod isprovided with hangers 33, which are adapted to swing in bosses 34,secured to the main rail 11. This liftingrod extends across as manyactions as have dampers, and when the pedal-rod 30 is raised to theposition shown in Fig. 2 said liftingrod is caused to swing outwardly oragainst the lower ends of the damper-levers 130, thus retracting ordisplacing all the felt dampers 13 from the wires 16.

40 represents a supplementary damper-lifting rod, which is hinged at 41to the bottom rail 12 and is adapted to engage extended portions 131,which are provided for as many dampers as it is desired to liftindependently of the others. Said lifting-rod 40 extends across as manydamper-levers as have extended portions and is provided with arocker-arm 42, against the under side of which bears a pedal-rod 43. Therocker-arm 42, like the rocker-arm 31, is preferably located at thelower or bass end of the action-supporting frame. When the pedal-rod 43is raised, as shown in Fig. 3, the dampers which have theextendedportions are displaced, leaving all the other dampers inengagement with their respective wires. It is evident that by thisconstruction the damper mechanisms can be grouped in any way desired,and while all dampers may be simultaneously controlled by a single pedalone or more groups of dampers may be individually controlled byadditional pedals, of which one is provided for each independent groupof dampers.

With a pianoforte constructed as above described the operator is enabledto sustain those notes which are under independent control, while at thesame time he may continue playing notes which are not sustained afterthe corresponding keys have been released.

I claim 1. A piano-action having damper-levers arranged in sections, thelevers in one section differing in size from the levers in otherseetions, means for simultaneously displacing all the damper-levers, andindependent means for displacing only a section of the series of levers,said latter means operating on the section operated thereby at a pointdistinct from that at which the former means operates.

52. A piano-action having damper-levers arranged in sections, the leversin one section differing in "size from the levers in other sections, aplurality of damper-displacing rods located in different planesrelatively to the levers, and means for operating said rodsindependently, one of said rods cooperating with the entire series ofdamper-levers, while another rod cooperates only with one of saidsections of levers, the section-displacing rod operating at a pointdistinct from that at which the series-displacing rod.

3. A piano-action having damper-levers arranged in sections, the leversin one section diifering in size from the levers in other sections, adamper-displacing rod extending the entire length of the series ofdamper-levers, a shorter displacing-rod arranged to cooperate only withthe section of levers at the bass end of the series, and means foroperating said rods independently, the damper-levers at the bass end ofthe series being formed to cooperate with both rods.

4. A pianoaction having damper-levers arranged in sections, the leversin each section differing in length from levers of other sections, arelatively short damper-displacing rod arranged to act only on thelevers of greater length, means for operating said rod, and independentmeans for operating the other levers.

5. A piano-action having damper-levers arranged in sections, the leversin each section differing in length from levers of other sections, thesection at the bass end of the series being of greatest length, arelatively short damper-displacing rod arranged to act only on the saidlevers of greater length, a damperdisplacing rod arranged to act on allthe levers of the series, said rods being relatively arranged to permitthe short rod to cooperate only with the levers of greater length, andmeans for independently operating said rods.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES P. BLINN.

Witnesses:

G. F. BROWN, E. BATOHELDER.

